Given name & surname
Clinton
“from the town on the hill”
Clinton is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the town on the hill.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the town on the hill.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Clinton through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 98,005
- 97,567 boys · 438 girls
- Most popular year
- 1981
- 2,222 babies
- 2025
- 94
- #1,732 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −28%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 94 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,732 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 27.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 2,206 in 1981. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (15). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 54,834 as a first name in 2020; 15,615 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Clinton’s family of names
In English usage, Clinton has a diminutive in Clint. Clinton has a related form in Chynton. Clinton has a related form in Clint.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Clinton has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
Englishwhere Clinton comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Clintdiminutive · English
- Clyntvariant
- Clinttonlikely variant
- Clintonnlikely variant
- Clyntevariant
- Clintevariant
- Clyntunvariant
- Clintunvariant
Show 1 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 5
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Clinton
- Clint EastwoodAmerican actor and film director (born 1930)
- Clinton DavissonAmerican physicist (1881-1958)
- Clint DempseyAmerican soccer playerborn 1983
- Clint MansellBritish composer and singerborn 1963
- Clinton N'JieCameroonian professional footballerborn 1993
- Clinton Hart MerriamAmerican zoologist and ornithologist (1855-1942)
- Clinton MataAngolan association football playerborn 1992
- Clinton Morrisonassociation football playerborn 1979
- Clinton HillAustralian sprinterborn 1980
Characters named Clinton: Hawkeye (Marvel Comics, introduced in 1964), Clint Barton (the Marvel Cinematic Universe).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Clinton, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Clifton
“cliff”
>99% boys
Marlon
“resembling a little hawk”
>99% boys
Dustin
“from the dusty area” · “a courageous warrior”
>99% boys
Sheldon
“from the steep valley”
>99% boys
Shelton
“from the farm on the ledge”
>99% boys
Darnell
“a secretive woman” · “from the hidden place”
>99% boys
Brett
“woman of Britain or Brittany” · “a man from Britain or Brittany”
94% boys · 6% girls
Bradley
“from the broad field” · “from the wide meadow”
96% boys · 4% girls